Meadows Wind Ensemble

Three-Ring Circus is, as one might expect, a program that is all about 3s! The program will feature three pieces for metal instruments: Ring, Flourish,Blaze by Augusta Read Thomas, Canzon septimi toni à 12 (for three choirs) by Giovanni Gabrieli, and a new fanfare for brass instruments by Meadows student Quinn Mason. Also featured will be three quasi-jazz works: Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs by Leonard Bernstein, Rhapsody in Blue (original “jazz band” version) by George Gershwin, and Blue Shades by Meadows alumnus Frank Ticheli. Two more “3s” round out the program: Stravinsky’s Three pieces for clarinet solo and two dancers, and Passages (in three movements) by Stephen Jones, written on commission for the MWE. The only thing missing is a waltz in three-quarter time – we’ll work on that!

The British Invasionwill feature a medley of hits by the greatest British Invasion bands of the ’60s (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Moody Blues and more!), arranged for rock band and the MWE by the brilliant arranger Daniel Davis. The program will also include works by Gustav Holst, Malcolm Arnold, Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Walton and Arthur Sullivan. Caruth Auditorium will be awash in Union Jacks, including miniature flags distributed to members of the audience, to create the look and feel of London’s famous BBC Proms!

In the Beginning . . . will open with (what else?!) A Big Bang – the world premiere of a fanfare for brass and percussion by Meadows composer Alex Shawver. It seems only fitting that our Big Bang be followed by Darius Milhaud’s classic from 1923, La création du monde – the first work to successfully combine jazz with so-called “classical” elements. Gershwin, who is also represented in the MWE’s 2018-19 season, often gets credit for this with his iconic Rhapsody in Blue, but Milhaud actually beat him to the punch by one year. The program will also include performances of two works inspired by La creation …: a second world premiere by Alex Shawver, his ominously titled The Destruction of the World, and Aaron Copland’s seldom-performed Music for the Theatre. Both works pay homage to Milhaud stylistically, and even mirror his form and instrumentation to a degree. For fans of “fusion” music, this is a definite can’t-miss concert!

The annual Classics program has become a popular MWE tradition, a favorite of audiences and ensemble members alike. Members of the MWE select all of the music, and they never fail to come up with one of the season’s most exciting and challenging concerts! Who knows what they’ll pick this year, but as always, it promises to be a can’t-miss show!